About the Mountain Organ

My new organ is a Viscount Domus P45, the fifth Viscount instrument I’ve owned. I was drawn to its design, which reflects the style of German and Dutch baroque organs, with straight stop jambs and a recessed music rest. It evokes the kind of instrument Bach himself might have encountered when he accepted his first position in Arnstadt — and that connection deeply inspired me.

When selecting this organ, I needed something compact and portable, as it had to be transported to a very remote region of northern Thailand. In fact, it’s quite possible that there isn’t another organ within a 500-mile radius of this one. Another key consideration was power consumption, since the instrument runs entirely on solar energy.

I opted for three manuals (keyboards) — for me, that’s essential. Five manuals are unnecessary, four are a luxury, but three feel perfectly standard and versatile for my needs.

The instrument includes 45 stops, plus four orchestral stops, two expression pedals, and a 30-note pedalboard. Modern organs usually feature 32 pedals, but since this instrument’s physical layout is based on baroque designs, it uses the traditional 30. The stops light up when engaged, and there’s an excellent built-in speaker system located beneath the keyboards.

One of the Domus P45’s great features is its three different dispositions, allowing it to emulate the sounds of baroque, romantic, and symphonic organs. All of these sounds can be fine-tuned via software on a computer or iPad, making it easy to adjust individual stops to taste. The organ also has full MIDI capability, which opens up a wide range of creative possibilities.

This organ uses modelling technology, rather than basic sampling. Viscount’s Physis Plus system maps the waveforms of actual pipes and emulates them digitally. The result is remarkably realistic — so much so that, in a church with the right speaker system, most people wouldn’t realise they were hearing an electronic instrument. Of course, no digital system can truly move air through a building the way real pipes do, but to the average congregation, the difference is virtually indistinguishable.

Each stop offers multiple alternate voices, and the editing options are impressive. I can adjust elements such as character, brilliance, and even simulate the natural instability of air flow through a pipe, as well as the subtle effects of different wind chest designs.

Although this organ is powerful on its own, I use it purely as a controller for Hauptwerk, a remarkable piece of software that allows organists to load digital replicas of real instruments from around the world. Many of these sample sets are recorded from three or even four microphone perspectives, allowing you to hear the organ as if you were standing in different locations within the church where it was recorded.

Once I load a particular virtual organ, I simply assign my Viscount stops to control the corresponding stops in Hauptwerk. It’s a quick setup process, and once configured, it truly feels like I’m playing that actual instrument.

Sampling technology has advanced tremendously over the years. Because organs naturally have a simple note-on / note-off action, sampled organs are among the most realistic of all sampled instruments. In fact, I believe very few people could distinguish between a recording made using Hauptwerk and one made on the original pipe organ itself.

I’ve always been fascinated by technology, and I wouldn’t be the musician I am today without electronic organs. I’m incredibly happy with this new instrument and look forward to sharing new compositions and performances with you very soon. I also look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments below.